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Film Review: Burnt

Director: John Wells

Starring: Bradley Cooper; Sienna Miller; Jamie Dornan

★★★★

By Nicola McFadyen

Not being a huge fan of either Bradley Cooper or Sienna Miller, I went to see Burnt with very, very low expectations, despite the overall positive reviews of the film I’d heard. However, what followed actually left me very pleasantly surprised.

The film focuses around Bradley Cooper’s character, Adam Jones, after he leaves behind a life of drugs, booze and women in Louisiana to try and rebuild his career as a chef in London. His character is exactly as you would expect him to be – arrogant, obnoxious, and at times, outright hilarious.

The story follows Jones as he takes over the restaurant of someone he knew when he was in Paris, and what follows is the tale of how he goes after his third Michelin star. Even if you know nothing about cookery, you can’t help but be drawn in by Jones’s passion for food, and the dishes he makes look truly spectacular.

With a fantastic backing cast, who play the chefs he has recruited to work under him, the film is slick, sexy and hilarious. The highlight of the film for me was Daniel Bruhl’s character Tony, the maître d of the restaurant, who harbours an all encompassing love for Cooper’s character, delivering some of the best one liners in the film. While the film has some darker tones in terms of Jones’s past, there is definitely an overwhelming sense of romantic comedy to the film – watching the burgeoning relationship between Miller’s smart mouthed sous chef and Jones was a joy to watch, as it wasn’t done in a simpering manner, which can often be the downfall of films of this sort. Emma Thompson also plays a stellar role as Jones’ psychoanalyst, who he must report to weekly for blood tests and the like – as with all of her roles, she plays it with great humour and elegance, even if some of her fashion choices left a lot to be desired. Watching the bond between Jones and his kitchen staff grow adds a sentimental touch to the film, while at other stages of the film my heart was genuinely in my mouth.